When it comes to deciding on the size of a home or living space, one question must be asked: How much space is enough? Americans often relate "enough" space to dimensions, rather than to how a space will really be enjoyed. In Blueprint Small, Michelle Kodis examines small spaces (each 1500 square feet or less) from a wide spectrum of locations, budgets, and individual styles-each chosen because they illustrate that scaling back in size doesn't have to mean scaling back in comfort, spaciousness, or beauty. From a sleek urban apartment to a funky mountain home to a renovated beach house, Blueprint Small reveals how smaller homes invite rather than overwhelm, comfort rather than alienate. The projects offered here represent a variety of functions, locations and environments, combining the technical aspects of building and using small spaces with the stories of the people who live in them. Blueprint Small invites you to explore inspiring and imaginative ways to inhabit smaller spaces, and still live large.

Time is a valued commodity in our modern world, and everyone struggles to make the most of each minute. Russel and Mary Wright recognized decades ago that finding time to organize their lives and homes would become a priority for modern men and women. In their groundbreaking book, Guide to Easier Living, the Wrights offered simple ways to achieve a comfortable, well-designed, and organized living environment in any home for any family. Originally published in 1950, Gibbs Smith is proud to rerelease Guide to Easier Living, and to reintroduce the Wrights' time-tested and proven methods for maintaining an inviting and efficient home. From ways to make household chores as fast and painless as possible, to how to organize a room for maximum living space, the Wrights pioneered a new informal way of living for a newly suburban American public. The Wrights' ideas revolutionized American living and the way everyday people dealt with the unending job of keeping a home in order. These methods and ideas are just as relevant-if not more so-today as they were a half-century ago. Russel and Mary Wright were prominent and successful designers who pioneered the fusion of modern design and informal living. Most importantly, they were known for their tabletop designs. The Wrights' most famous tabletop design, American Modern, was the best-selling dinnerware in American history and has just been rereleased by Oneida Ltd.

Flowers have always been an integral part of the cultural fabric of Thailand and a constant reminder of the country’s Buddhist heritage and identity. As in other Asian cultures, flowers are lavishly used in Thailand to mark rituals and rites of passage; they are indispensable in age-old acts of worship, in celebrations, and in daily life. On their way to work, many Thais offer flowers and a heartfelt prayer at wayside shrines. Every day, scores of women at the royal court create floral offerings for the venerated Buddha images in Bangkok’s temples and palaces. Thai Airways routinely presents orchid corsages to female passengers.

This stunning and refreshingly original book goes beyond the everyday: it elevates flowers from mere floral arrangements to meditative floral "installations." Created from a combination of exotic and colorful tropical flowers, plant materials--fibers and leaves from banana plants and coconut trees, culms and twigs from bamboo--and unconventional materials like wire netting, harmoniously blend a strong, usually three-dimensional, structure with the sweet and subtle elements of flowers. The philosophy behind the arrangements, the interiors or occasions for which they are appropriate, and a brief explanation of the techniques and materials employed will inspire readers to create their own artistic arrangements.

From Paris to New York to Beijing, from the home studio to the office cubical to corporate headquarters, this book shows readers how to set the stage for creativity. The Inspired Workspace is a must for architects, designers, managers, employees, business owners, CEOs, and the self-employed everywhere.

It feature more than 200 full-color photographs illustrating unique approaches to work and creativity in both private and public workspaces. This elegant book is the book that provides the ins and outs for creating a truly inspired workspace. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.